Anarchy99
Footballguy
Given some other threads out there, I decided to compile a list of all songs from the 1980's that would be classified as "one hit wonders" from the 1980's. Here is the definition . . .
- All artists must have one and only one song that AT ITS PEAK ranked in the Top 40 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from 1/5/1980 to 12/30/1989. Note that when the song was recorded does not factor into this at all . . . it's when the song ranked at it's peak on the singles chart.
- For our purposes, if the song was a collaboration or duet, I used the primary artist (the one listed first or the one whose album the song appeared on) as the one that charted the song.
- On a couple of occasions, there were duets that were a part of soundtracks, in which case either party would be eligible if that was their only hit song.
- A song by an artist that released a song away from their primary band as a solo artist is considered as a song eligible on its own right.
Here are some examples that DO NOT meet the criteria . . .
Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes does not qualify, as she had 11 Top 40 songs (sorry, had to list this one).
Tommy Tutone - 867-5309/Jenny does not make the list because Angel Say No hit #38.
a-ha - Take On Me gets excluded because The Sun Always Shines On TV reached #20.
Murray Head - One Night in Bangkok reached #3 in 1985 but doesn't make it because of Jesus Christ Superstar, which hit #14 in 1971.
More disqualifications include:
Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio because it only reached #58.
Modern English - I Melt With You, which was released multiple times but the highest it ever charted was #76.
Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy as it stalled at #62.
Split Enz - I Got You only climbed to #53.
So even though . . .
The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star was the first video ever played on MTV, it charted in 1979 and doesn't count.
Which is the same issue for M - Pop Musik.
And on the other end . . .
Michael Penn - No Myth came out and charted in 1989, it peaked in 1990 so doesn't make the cut.
Which is the same fate for Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers - Swing The Mood, which came out in 1989 but hit #11 in early 1990.
One more example of an exclusion is . . .
The Contours - Do You Love Me, which charted in the 1960s and charted again after the release of Dirty Dancing. They had no other Top 40 songs, but the song charted higher in its initial run.
I will present all the songs in a Casey Kasem Top 40 style format (as the numbers get smaller the hits get bigger). So I will start will all the one hit songs that made it to #40 on the chart (oldest to newest). Then all the songs that peaked at #39, Then the ones that reached #38 and so on and so forth. When we get to the #1 songs, I will list those from fewest weeks at #1 to longest stretch at #1.
I reviewed EVERY official Billboard Weekly Hot 100 list (520 of them in total) TWICE, so the list should be pretty accurate (although if I missed any please let me know). There are 272 artists / songs that qualify (I may review the list again, but that is the number at present).
I will let Tim's One Hit Wonder list play out before I get started.
And for the record, unless you are 45 or 50 years old, you more than likely will DESPISE the selections included here. I will post a link to the original video whenever possible (and the audio if not). I have some ideas for keeping things interesting when there are some, cough, less than stellar songs on the list. We'll laugh, we'll cry, we'll want to stick a sharp object in our eyes. But it will be an interesting journey.
And to reiterate, there is no decision making involved here. It's just posting a list of songs, so I am not "choosing" anything . . . it's just the songs presented in the order that they charted. Feel free to praise or vomit where appropriate . . . Hopefully the old people here will remember some of them (even perhaps fondly).
- All artists must have one and only one song that AT ITS PEAK ranked in the Top 40 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from 1/5/1980 to 12/30/1989. Note that when the song was recorded does not factor into this at all . . . it's when the song ranked at it's peak on the singles chart.
- For our purposes, if the song was a collaboration or duet, I used the primary artist (the one listed first or the one whose album the song appeared on) as the one that charted the song.
- On a couple of occasions, there were duets that were a part of soundtracks, in which case either party would be eligible if that was their only hit song.
- A song by an artist that released a song away from their primary band as a solo artist is considered as a song eligible on its own right.
Here are some examples that DO NOT meet the criteria . . .
Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes does not qualify, as she had 11 Top 40 songs (sorry, had to list this one).
Tommy Tutone - 867-5309/Jenny does not make the list because Angel Say No hit #38.
a-ha - Take On Me gets excluded because The Sun Always Shines On TV reached #20.
Murray Head - One Night in Bangkok reached #3 in 1985 but doesn't make it because of Jesus Christ Superstar, which hit #14 in 1971.
More disqualifications include:
Wall Of Voodoo - Mexican Radio because it only reached #58.
Modern English - I Melt With You, which was released multiple times but the highest it ever charted was #76.
Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy as it stalled at #62.
Split Enz - I Got You only climbed to #53.
So even though . . .
The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star was the first video ever played on MTV, it charted in 1979 and doesn't count.
Which is the same issue for M - Pop Musik.
And on the other end . . .
Michael Penn - No Myth came out and charted in 1989, it peaked in 1990 so doesn't make the cut.
Which is the same fate for Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers - Swing The Mood, which came out in 1989 but hit #11 in early 1990.
One more example of an exclusion is . . .
The Contours - Do You Love Me, which charted in the 1960s and charted again after the release of Dirty Dancing. They had no other Top 40 songs, but the song charted higher in its initial run.
I will present all the songs in a Casey Kasem Top 40 style format (as the numbers get smaller the hits get bigger). So I will start will all the one hit songs that made it to #40 on the chart (oldest to newest). Then all the songs that peaked at #39, Then the ones that reached #38 and so on and so forth. When we get to the #1 songs, I will list those from fewest weeks at #1 to longest stretch at #1.
I reviewed EVERY official Billboard Weekly Hot 100 list (520 of them in total) TWICE, so the list should be pretty accurate (although if I missed any please let me know). There are 272 artists / songs that qualify (I may review the list again, but that is the number at present).
I will let Tim's One Hit Wonder list play out before I get started.
And for the record, unless you are 45 or 50 years old, you more than likely will DESPISE the selections included here. I will post a link to the original video whenever possible (and the audio if not). I have some ideas for keeping things interesting when there are some, cough, less than stellar songs on the list. We'll laugh, we'll cry, we'll want to stick a sharp object in our eyes. But it will be an interesting journey.
And to reiterate, there is no decision making involved here. It's just posting a list of songs, so I am not "choosing" anything . . . it's just the songs presented in the order that they charted. Feel free to praise or vomit where appropriate . . . Hopefully the old people here will remember some of them (even perhaps fondly).
Last edited by a moderator:
With that said, here is to one of the best decades of music. 
